"At that time, I was several years into an unplanned career as an artist, already had a solo exhibit and created a home décor brand"
During the pandemic in 2020, many people decided to start projects and write books. Sometimes detours create opportunity, and many capitalized on that opportunity by being forced to spend more time being “still.” I, however, learned that lesson many years ago.
I remember being interviewed for an article in Guideposts magazine a few years ago. The article centered around my personal journey as an artist. At that time, I was several years into an unplanned career as an artist, already had a solo exhibit and created a home décor brand using prints from my original artwork. I always referred to myself as an “accidental artist,” but it really was me on a detour.
Rewinding back to 2012, I was at a pivotal moment in my life. I was getting divorced, my father had succumbed to a terminal illness, and I was completely dissatisfied with my job. I spent the first half of the year, just surviving. However, once my mind, body and soul were absolutely exhausted, I took time off from work. Taking this time proved to be the best detour from a path I had already paved for myself.
"Calm During the Storm" by Phnesha Marchette Jefferson
It all started with long walks on the beach. I was fortunate enough to move within blocks of a beautiful beach in Southern California. These walks provided me with an opportunity to enjoy natural beauty that I never took advantage of for the first half of the year because I was too busy hustling and bustling through life.
One of the first things I noticed during these walks was the color blue. I recall reading articles in the past about the color blue and its calming effects. Blue ended up being a dominant color in my artwork when I began painting in the summer of 2012.
At first, I just painted for myself. Having this creative outlet benefitted me in so many ways. I saw instant returns on my time at the easel whether it was helping with insomnia, or just feeling a sense of accomplishment.
"I was getting divorced, my father had succumbed to a terminal illness, and I was completely dissatisfied with my job. I spent the first half of the year, just surviving."
There is something completely gratifying about walking into your home and seeing YOUR artwork. The added bonus is that my two young daughters, Gabby and Gigi, began telling people, “Our mommy is an artist.” They never before touted my career choice, but now they had such a sense of pride when they shared with friends.
One of my daughters told me that I needed to sign my paintings, but that was a bit complicated at the time because I was in the middle of a divorce, and didn’t know what name to use. That is when I made the decision to make my go-by name Phnesha Marchette; my first and middle name.
"Clarity" by Phnesha Marchette Jefferson
After I ran out of wall space in my two-level home, I realized I could actually host an exhibit. I connected with a gallery owner that I soon became very skeptical of. My initial plan did not work out, but a missed meeting resulted in me stumbling upon a gallery in Redondo Beach where I walked in with a pitch and walked out with my first solo exhibit, Synchronicity, in 2014.
Almost seven years later, Synchronicity still seems so surreal to me. The event itself was never in my plan.
I had never imagined standing in a gallery full of family, friends and strangers with the sound system blasting my favorite singer, Jason Mraz. I ended up selling a record number of original pieces for the gallery that night. The gallery owners, admittedly, were shocked simply because I was relatively unknown at the time. I could not believe that people would hang my colorful labors of love in their homes.
Phnesha Marchette Jefferson at her solo exhibit in 2014
When I embarked on my artistic journey, Gabby and Gigi also embarked on theirs. They were very young, but children often emulate their parents. I bought them little easels and art supplies. We spent countless hours painting and drawing pictures of things they like to do at the dining room table.
"Having the girls so intimately involved in the creative process has proven to be a fruitful approach."
One evening, Gabby said, “Mommy, this looks like a book.” I chuckled because, once again, I found myself contemplating an idea that was never in my plan. I received spiritual confirmation soon after, and that was the birth of the Gabby and Gigi book series.
The first book took quite a while to pull together. I had to educate myself on publishing options. I eventually chose to self-publish because I wanted full creative control over my series, particularly because it was reflective of my daughters. I did my homework and realized that with social media and other resources in place, there was no better option for me.
"Meet Gabby and Gigi" book cover
In December 2016, we were ready! We released the first book of the series, “Meet Gabby and Gigi.” The first book was all about Gabby, Gigi, and their dogs Coffee and Daisy. It featured things the girls liked to do; just like the pictures drawn at the dining room table.
The first book was an immediate success and the demand for more Gabby and Gigi became very high. The girls and I had so many funny experiences and they were very active in creating content for the second book, which also happens to be my favorite of the series so far, “Daisy Did It!” It was after the second book in August 2019, that we realized we were on to something. Two months later, at an appearance, I connected with a representative from Reading is Fundamental of Southern California (RIF SoCal) and our book series was picked up within three days of that initial contact. Two months after that, we released book number three, “The Big Big Secret.”
Having the girls so intimately involved in the creative process has proven to be a fruitful approach. Every decision we have made has been thoughtful and deliberate. The latest venture, our plush dolls, was the most well thought-out decision we made.
We thought it would be cool to have dolls, and during the initial thought, we were leaning in the direction of 18-inch plastic dolls. However, the girls began collecting plush dolls and I just knew that those would be the better option. See, most of the feedback we received from parents was that their kids loved having them read the books to them at night. We thought, what better way to add to the Gabby and Gigi experience than to have soft toys to hold and fall asleep with during bedtime.
Once I settled on a doll designer, the pandemic hit. What was supposed to be less than a six month process turned into well over a year-long effort. We were patient. We did not settle. I went back and forth several times about the girls’ hair and skin color because I knew that creating dolls of African American girls required a standard that I was not willing to compromise.
"While we waited, we made lemonade out of lemons in 2020. We were selected as Featured Authors for RIF SoCal, and were requested for a number of virtual appearances."
While we waited, we made lemonade out of lemons in 2020. We were selected as Featured Authors for RIF SoCal, and were requested for a number of virtual appearances. In addition, I was contacted several times over the year by aspiring authors for advice and guidance. I shared every single thing I learned from day one of the process because I believe in helping and empowering others.
Finally! In February 2021, we received our first bulk shipment of dolls and we launched for sale at gabby-gigi.myshopify.com. As I look back to nine years ago, I pinch myself because none of this was planned. There were many lessons learned from changing courses.
Unexpected events do not have to be viewed as derailments. Instead, they can create opportunities for creativity through taking detours. Our detour has been a colorful and rewarding one, and we cannot wait to watch more of our ideas come to fruition.
"Two significant responses from the community in particular fueled my motivation to engage youth directly in activities associated with writing and publishing their own books "
At Adelphi Elementary, in the 5th grade, I wrote a poem and in my excitement of my young literary accomplishment I remember enthusiastically sharing this achievement with my classroom teacher. To my surprise, I later discovered the poem I had written was published in the school’s newspaper. And thus began the first phase of my relationship with writing that stuck with me into adulthood. A relationship that would spark creativity and ideas that I would draw from throughout my life. Despite the ubiquitous nature of this relationship, it wasn’t until I published my first book in February 2014, Out of the Darkness: A Journey into the Marvelous Light, that I realized how much writing had been a part of my life growing up as a child. So, at the culmination of publishing my first book, the path leading to the next phase of my relationship with writing began to become clear, and I was intent on following it.
2014 was the same year two of my colleagues and I, from the community in which I served as an educator at Greenbelt Middle School, decided to launch a literacy campaign. The goal of the literacy initiative was to engage students, staff, parents, and the greater community of Greenbelt in activities related to literacy. The response of the community was overwhelmingly supportive, but two significant responses in particular fueled my motivation to engage youth directly in activities associated with writing and publishing their own books while learning about the entrepreneurial skills involving writing, publishing, and book marketing.
The first thing that happened involved meeting Rob Brown, who identifies himself as a book lover and operates his own TV studio interviewing local authors to help them with the marketing and promotion of their published books. Rob agreed to participate in one of my evening literacy showcase events to speak to the youth about his love of literature and why they should celebrate literacy. Rob invited the students in attendance, along with our school community, to submit their own short stories in a book format for him to judge and the winners (first, second, third place) would be announced at a later evening literacy showcase. The students of our school community responded with over 30 submissions and Rob was enthusiastically surprised by the number of students who participated. Little did I know it would be a foreshadowing of the direction my life would take personally and professionally from that point forward.
"The students of our school community responded with over 30 submissions and Rob was enthusiastically surprised by the number of students who participated"
The second thing that happened as a result of launching the literacy initiative included the community of Greenbelt inviting me to launch an after-school book club. The Advisory Committee on Education, or ACE, of Greenbelt, sponsored a book club after school that has been in operation the past 4 years since 2016. It was the first time I had been associated with a group of students who were eager, enthusiastic, and energetic about reading, discussing literature, and participating in writing related activities. It was also the first time in my career I was engaging in activities specific to promoting literacy and it was inspiring to see the genuine authentic reaction from students interested in these types of activities willing to meet after school to read, talk, and write about literature.
In 2017-2018 I invited my book club students to collaborate with me in co-writing and co-illustrating a children’s book involving a character I originally conceived when I was in college. A character that would travel the universe and learn about our solar system by visiting each one and interacting with the life forms they met while they visited. We spent the first semester of that school year identifying the format of how we would write the story and what the content of the story would include.
Tips I Learned for Helping Youth To Write
Tip 1: Provide guidelines to keep everyone focused on the goals and content of the storyline - In any group you may have very creative and imaginative writers who are limitless in their ability to think creatively and come up with a variety of ways to tell a story. Then you have some who are willing to write but need more assistance in developing their ideas in a way that helps them remain confident and comfortable with the process.
Tip 2: Remind the kids of their target audience - Our target audience was elementary age students, but the authors were middle school students with broader life experiences that inspire their creative desires but may not be conducive for a younger audience. At the time of writing this article, the children’s book project is nearing completion of the illustrations that go along with the manuscript that was completed at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. I was greatly impressed and alarmingly encouraged by the commitment and perseverance of the students to finish what they started and the students who have continued with me in ensuring the illustrations were completed. 2021 is the projected release date of my very first children’s book I dreamed of doing when I graduated from college.
As an educator it is extremely rewarding and fulfilling to have students participate with me in this accomplishment while helping some of them unlock their potential and be awakened to their own interests and passion to write, illustrate, and publish books.
My passion to write was now affording me the privileged opportunity to invite a greater number of students to engage in the activity beyond the group I worked with after school in the book club. Upon being named the new writing enrichment teacher, I had the honor of ushering Greenbelt Middle School to its first award-winning participation in a county wide writing program. And currently, the Howard County Arts Council and I are collaborating on developing a creative writing workshop for youth and adults to inspire more youth to write now. It is my sincere passion to instill in youth the understanding they don’t need to wait until they become adults to pursue and practice their love of writing and becoming a published author. I want them to know they can write now. Writing and storytelling are unique ways of developing one’s creative self-expression and is an integral part of how we live.
"A character that would travel the universe and learn about our solar system by visiting each one and interacting with the life forms they met while they visited."
Even if we don’t write ourselves, writing plays a huge role in our lives daily whether we are aware of it or not. From what we view on television and in movies, to the books, newspaper, and online articles we read, including the music we listen to contains the art or skill of writing. Writing is also a healthy outlet for expressing one’s views, thoughts, opinions, or emotions through journaling. Writing is a part of literacy and helps youth perform better academically when they can learn to write proficiently and effectively.
To be able to make use of my passion in inspiring youth and adults alike to write is not something I had imagined or planned, but I’m grateful for the experience.
"If I had to really put a fine point on it, I believe that world building is where many of my story arcs are born."
Warning: I do not recommend getting so caught up in world building that it becomes a project unto itself. This is only part of the process and should be treated as such. Speaking from experience, it is possible to become so obsessed with backstory that you never begin writing a story.
I’ve been asked where my story ideas come from, and there isn’t just one concrete answer to that. If I had to really put a fine point on it, I believe that world building is where many of my story arcs are born. In fact, knowing the world in which your characters exist is just as important as defining the people themselves.
When I started writing The Sunstroms, I knew up front that I wanted to tell a story about a superhero family, and I wanted that family to have a definite science fiction flavor that reminded me of some of the cartoons and comics I grew up with. But after the characters were named, drawn, and fleshed out, they needed an interesting narrative.
Author Gene E Willoughby II's Sunstrom's Work
Most of the ideas for that particular novel came from my notebooks. Now, before I go any further, I must admit that I have something of an addiction to composition books, and I own quite a few of them. All of these books contain pieces of what I call my “secret worlds”. If I remember it correctly, this started when I was in college working various retail jobs. I would always have a notebook with me, and when customer traffic was slow or I was on break, I’d be jotting down my ideas about new characters, locations, and super powers. Even now, I continue this practice at home while I’m watching the Lakers or replaying a favorite movie of mine.
As you are thinking about the world you plan to write about, ask yourself a series of questions. Is this world like ours? Are there any differences? For example, if you watch a show such as Power, the hyper-charged crime world is depicted as nearly identical to ours with few deviations. Conversely, the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have some important similarities, but the fact that super beings are possible in that world changes everything.
"I must admit that I have something of an addiction to composition books, and I own quite a few of them. All of these books contain pieces of what I call my 'secret worlds'."
If your universe is vastly different, then there are other aspects you should consider. What does religion look like? What about governments? Who or what group is in charge? How does the economy work? Is there special technology or magic present in your world? If so, how do those things work? What are the rules or laws? Are there any super abilities in your world and what are their strengths and weaknesses? How do everyday people earn a living? What is the state of their environment? When I am constructing an outline I end up pulling material concerning backstories, locations, and organizations from these notes, and my stories tend to evolve from these ideas.
This is part 2 in a series of articles on the topic of comic book development. Find all articles in the series linked below: